


love is stronger than justice

by persephassax



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bottom Kylo Ren, D/s, Darth Tantrum and his Evil Space Ginger, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mild S&M, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, PWP, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rough Sex, Shameless Smut, Top Armitage Hux, Tumblr: kyluxsoftkinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 20:03:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephassax/pseuds/persephassax
Summary: Kylo Ren's ascension to Supreme Leader has driven a wedge between him and General Hux. Kylo knows he needs the General by his side if he has any hopes of taking over the Galaxy. How can he make it up to him?--Unofficial Summary:"That dick was so good, I'm gonna promote and marry it."Written for a softkyluxkinks prompt.





	love is stronger than justice

**Author's Note:**

> Unofficial summary comes from the lovely JZ who has done nothing but encourage my terrible porn writing habit. (And engaged with me in extensive discussion about the size of Adam Driver's thighs.)
> 
> Title comes from A softer world : 383
> 
> From the following softkyluxkinks [prompt](https://softkyluxkinks.tumblr.com/post/169163376255/supreme-leader-kylo-proposes-to-hux-after-they):
>
>> Supreme Leader Kylo proposes to Hux after they clean up the mess on Crait. He's adorably nervous for someone who calls himself "Supreme Leader."
> 
> Still probably not soft enough. I'm so sorry, you guys. 

At the heart of it, Hux was everything Ben Solo never was, and Kylo Ren couldn't be. He was calculating, he was cold, he was in control, and –perhaps most significantly– he was a success.

No one Kylo had ever tried to be had managed to do even a fraction of the things Hux had achieved. Ben Solo was a disappointment; as a son, as a student, as a man. Kylo Ren was not much better, he was undisciplined and ever failing; no amount of raw power could change those facts.

But that was the past and, as he had told Rey, it was time for the past to die. He had already taken the first steps to ensure that the past would disappear. Snoke was no more, he, Kylo Ren, was Supreme Leader now. 

But there were still a few things he needed to do before he could consider the past well and truly vanquished and prepare for the future. 

His plans for General Hux were at the top of that list.

* * *

Things had not gone smoothly between them during the transition of power, when the old regime of Snoke became his own— glorious— reign. He had expected more deference from Hux, a greater understanding that Kylo was not doing this merely for himself, but for both of them, for the entirety of the First Order, for the very Galaxy itself.

Their relationship had always been, for lack of a better word, complicated. Even early on, Snoke had played them against each other. It had never been difficult to see where Hux’s aspiration lay. He might have been a canny strategist and a consummate pragmatist, willing to set his loyalties wherever would benefit him best, but he was nevertheless human. Especially in his youth, his mind had often been unguarded against a passing exploration by Kylo, and, he imagined, by Snoke himself. His visions of bringing the Galaxy to heel, his clear plans for managing such a feat, were both the source of his advancement and the seed of his destruction. Snoke had need of him, a fact that Hux was well aware of, for his strategic acumen, his brilliant engineering mind, and his fanatical devotion to the cause. His natural ruthlessness was just a bonus. 

However, his boundless ambition, the knowledge that he wouldn't truly be satisfied until he was Emperor, and his manipulation (and at times cold blooded elimination) of the command structure until he was seated at the top made him a legitimate threat to Snoke’s supremacy.

This is how they found themselves in an ever shrinking orbit of high commanders, eventually becoming the only two who remained. Each of them was the obvious heir to the throne of the First Order, Kylo Ren as Snoke's protege, with his command of the Force, and Hux with his command of every apparatus and soldier under the mantle of the Order. Whatever else others to believe him to be, Kylo Ren was not a complete fool, regardless of what Hux would mutter under his breath.

And there was one thing for which Snoke could not and did not account; that even the impulsive and disordered mind of Kylo Ren could keep secrets. 

He was proud of himself for how he had managed to keep this one. He allowed Snoke to uncover his lust for the General. The way thoughts of his red hair and pale skin would make Kylo run hot under his collar. The stifled images of those long, lean limbs splayed out against Kylo’s sheets, the noises he hoped Hux would make. Snoke did his best to make use of it. Reminding Kylo of Hux’s successes against his own failures. Remarking on the sharp figure of him as he exited the room. He would torment him, pulling Kylo under with the threat of revealing his innermost desires to their object. 

Under all of that, Kylo Ren had hidden the truth. Hux looked exactly as delectable as he had imagined, and his noises we're even sweeter than he had fantasized. Moreover, regardless of his own power, he knew to pay deference to the General, because in a battle of wills, he would always be defeated. And so they had passed many years of their often quarrelsome relationship. With Kylo throwing tantrums on the bridge to get Hux worked up and then having the General take him in hand off shift and put him through his paces before lying back and letting Kylo ride his cock until he came. He did what he could to limit the contact between their minds, despite the way the the Force inevitably tried to reach out, an extension of his desire to know what Hux truly felt in those moments. He was afraid to find that it was merely an amusement for the man after all, and that he would find no echo of his own ever yearning desire reflected back. 

* * *

But the problem remained. Things were at odds now between Kylo and Hux. The change in power, Kylo’s ascension to the coveted throne, had opened a fissure between them. Amends needed to be made. Kylo Ren was no fool, and as such he knew he would never manage to command the might of the First Order if Hux were to decide to stand against him. He had earned his right to the throne in blood, but he still needed a way to secure it.

Things remained frosty between the two of them, and after the disaster on Crait it seemed impossible that Kylo could find the right words or actions to thaw them out. He would spend the night pacing his quarters, trying to figure it out. The lost sleep did little to aid him, as it left him short tempered and prone to outbursts of violence. He would try to meditate, but the thought of how he was losing Hux would plague him until he would have to abandon his practice and resume his obsessive rumination on the problem. 

* * *

Worse than that, all other liaisons between them had completely evaporated. Night after night, Kylo was left to his thoughts and his own hand. He would think on the problem of how to win Hux over and then inevitably he would find himself mulling over their relationship. It had, for the most part, consisted of sniping at each other, and Kylo riling Hux beyond his nearly limitless patience. At that point Hux would snap and demand that Kylo report to his quarters after the shift was over to discuss the problem. For anyone beyond a handful of lieutenants and perhaps Hux’s right hand, Captain Phasma, none of it would seem out of sync with Hux’s normal demeanor. But those who did know better would see the gleam in his eye and the way his jaw would tick and knew that the next day Kylo Ren would be much subdued.

Kylo found himself returning again and again to the experience they shared after the Starkiller had exploded. It had been a few weeks after the battle itself, but Hux had been in a right mood still, and Kylo hadn’t been much better himself after everything that had happened with Han Solo. Hux had stopped him in a corridor as they passed, grabbed him by the arm (which was unusual between them), dug his fingers in to the thick fabric until the sharp points of his bones were digging into Kylo’s flesh, and hissed at him, “My quarters, third shift, for a debrief.” His tone had had none of its usual dismissive coldness, instead it was like ice running into Kylo’s veins. He had said nothing in reply but nodded to make clear that he’d understood.

That night he had gone to Hux’s quarters to find him in his shirt sleeves, great coat and uniform jacket presumably banished to the closet, and his sleeves rolled up showing his corded forearms. His uniform pants were crumpled at the knees, but his boots retained their menacing, reflective shine. 

He’d been pacing, fingers holding the rim of a glass with a finger of brandy in it. 

Without looking up at him as he moved, Hux had said, “Take that ridiculous thing off,” and gestured at his head with the hand holding the brandy. Kylo Ren had complied, enjoying the relative freshness of ship’s air on his face after the stifling heat of the helmet. 

He kept his head tilted down, and stole a glance at the bottle of brandy on Hux’s desk. Thankfully, it didn't show any evidence of him having had any more than what was currently in his glass. Kylo felt a slight release of tension in his shoulders at the sight. It wasn't that they hadn't fucked when Hux had been in his cups, but, at the moment, he wasn't looking forward to whatever his partner would do to him while drunk. Hux had a tendency to get mean if he’d had more than a drink and a half, and while Kylo prided himself on being able to take whatever the General dished out, that didn't mean he always enjoyed it.

Then Hux had turned sharply, and sat down on the single chair in his quarters, which faced out toward the door, where Kylo was still standing, and commanded him: 

“Strip.”

Kylo’s hair fell forward into and around his face and he looked up at Hux from under his lashes. The General’s face had a ghost of his customary snear, and his eyes were narrowed. They shone a cold blue in the low light of the room, sharp and mean where they watched him. Kylo quickly set to work stripping off his many layers; the cape, his cowl, his jacket, his shirts. His skin prickled as it came in contact with the air. Hux always kept his rooms at a slightly lower temperature than the rest of the ship. He could feel his nipples pebble and pinch up in the cool air. He knew he had fresh scars, some with their bruising still fading on his torso and briefly wondered what Hux thought of them. He took his boots off and found himself lingering when it came to his pants. 

“Well, what are you waiting for, take all of it off,” Hux’s voice was abrasive in the quiet of his quarters.

Kylo pushed his pants down his hips and thighs, and pulled them over and off his feet. He always felt silly, standing like this, naked, while Hux inspected him. It was one of his favorite things to do, leaving Kylo to stew in his own thoughts while he took him in. Tonight was no different, and Hux took his time, sipping from his brandy while he ran possessive eyes over every inch of flesh Kylo had on display. He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides, desperate to cover himself, either his face or his dick, he hadn't decided yet, and knowing that he wasn't allowed. 

He half expected Hux to get up and walk a circle around him as if inspecting new merchandise (it wouldn't be the first time), but he remained seated. Kylo, like every single other time they had done this, could feel himself starting to get hard. He was aware of every bump and curve and bruise and scar on his body when he was under Hux’s piercing gaze, and the awareness of his own skin eventually became awareness of  _ other _ things. Before he knew it, he would be breathing heavily and feeling his cock swell just from the weight of Hux’s eyes. The sight of his slowly stiffening prick made something smile-like flit across Hux’s sharp features and he raised a hand, crooking his fingers in a gesture that said,  _ Come here.  _ He put his glass to the side and brought a hand down to the front of his pants, cupping himself through them for a moment. He let out a little huff of breath and undid his belt and the fastenings of his trousers. Kylo took an involuntary step forward.

“On your knees,” Hux’s voice was sharp. 

Kylo got down on all fours and crawled the short distance between them. When he got between Hux’s knees, the General having to spread them a little wider to accommodate the breadth of Kylo’s shoulders, he brought a hand down to run along the side of Kylo’s face. In an unusual display of tenderness, he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, fingers lingering on the shell. Kylo could feel the heat pouring off his face, radiating from his ears, as Hux touched him, so gently. 

“Take it out,” Hux murmured. “Don't stroke it, don't lick it, don't do anything else. Just take it out.”

Kylo nodded, feeling saliva start to pool on his tongue, anticipating what would happen next. Carefully, he spread the zipper and pulled up the front of Hux’s shirts where they were still tucked into his waistband. He felt his finger skim the soft, cool skin of Hux’s stomach and heard the sharp exhale that accompanied the touch. He tucked his fingers in the elastic of the General’s uniform issue black briefs and pulled them down to reveal his cock. Hux let out a little sigh. He was mostly hard already, dick flushed, looking darker against the well-groomed orange hair at the base. Kylo held it softly, carefully, his eyes darting uncertainly between the cock and Hux’s leonine expression. He dared not move his hand or even breathe too deeply lest either be taken as him breaking the rules that Hux had set out. It had taken time for him to realize that the fastest way to get what he wanted was to do as the General asked of him. Kneeling before him, Kylo felt a shiver run down his spine, the industrial weave of the carpet was digging into his knees and he had to swallow to keep himself from drooling. 

“Perfect,” Hux purred. He reached a hand down and picked up his glass again. The hand that had lingered next to Kylo’s face threaded back into his hair, except this time, Hux gave it a sharp tug and then pulled him forward.

“You know what to do,” he said, canting his hips up towards Kylo’s face. He did know what to do. He licked his lips, wetting them, taking one last open mouthed suck of air, and then wrapped his lips around the head of Hux’s dick. It tasted of clean skin, evidence of Hux’s strict adherence to his daily ablutions. While Kylo often found the General to be fussy, he could not deny that he had an appreciation for his dedication to cleanliness and order. Never did Kylo have to contend with a less than clean or well-groomed Hux. 

Hux’s cock was hot and dry in Kylo’s mouth. He let his saliva flood his mouth, working around the head and spreading it down and along the shaft, as he covered more and more of it with his mouth. He pressed his tongue along its underside, reveling in the smooth, hard feel of it. The sponginess of the head and the slide of unyielding flesh under soft skin never failed to intoxicate Kylo. He kept his lips tight and sucked, bobbing his head, trying to work Hux’s cock as far as possible into his mouth. He could feel the head bumping the edge where his hard palette became soft, and pulled back. It wouldn’t do to choke himself on Hux’s dick so soon. There was a visceral satisfaction in the noise Hux would make when he felt the smooth opening of Kylo’s throat around the head of his dick. But despite a basic ability to get past his gag reflex, Kylo had no natural aptitude for deepthroating. He would inevitably gag and have to pull back quickly to avoid anything unpleasant. But he liked the way it felt, the moment where he had to push past that natural barrier at the top of his throat, holding Hux all the way inside himself, undeniably present, both of them fully focused on the place where Kylo closed around him. 

Hux let out a sigh of satisfaction as Kylo settled into a little pattern. He would bob up and down at the top of the shaft, sucking on the head, and then slide down and get as much of Hux’s dick into his mouth as he could. His spit was sliding down over his fingers and gathering at the corners of his lips. Hux kept his fingers tangled in Kylo’s hair and tugged every so often to adjust his pace. Kylo knew that sometimes Hux would tug on his hair knowing he was going for the downstroke just to make him come up short. Things were never what they seemed with the General; pleasure was rarely about doing the simple or easy thing, with him. 

“Enough,” came Hux’s voice from above. Kylo was loathe to take his mouth from the magnificent cock it was engaged with, but Hux’s grip in his hair was tight and he suspected that he would lose some of it if he tried to continue. He pulled back, licking his lips, swallowing a few times to remember what his mouth felt like when it was empty. 

Without Hux’s dick in his mouth, commanding his attention, his awareness returned to the need brewing between his own thighs. Kylo knew it was embarrassing to get this hard from being on his knees for someone else. But laying himself on Hux’s rarely tender mercies had never failed to arouse him. 

“Get on the bed,” Hux ordered. His tone was barely different from how he sounded when he issued commands from the bridge of the  _ Finalizer.  _ There was a hint of something rough, a sensual edge to his voice, but Kylo knew better than to mistake it for tenderness. “I want you ass up, with your shoulders touching the mattress.”

Kylo scrambled back, pulling himself off the floor, aware of his stiff cock swinging awkwardly between his legs with the movement. In three steps he was at the side of Hux's bed, its sheets tucked in with military precision. He clambered onto it, graceless, and flopped down. He spread his knees, pressing his chest into the mattress, aware of how exposed it left him; he had no real leverage to move. Kylo piled his hands beneath his head and turned his face out to the room. He couldn't bear the thought of being able to hear Hux move, without being able to see him. Sometimes that was against the rules, but Hux hadn't said anything to that effect tonight and Kylo took his chance. 

Hux was just out of his field of vision, but he could hear him stand up and the soft  _ shuff _ of clothes being discarded. Hux would be folding them neatly, hopefully too impatient to do more than pile them on his chair, but still taking the time to ensure the process was done properly. Kylo's heart was pounding with anticipation by the time the General walked into his line of sight. He was naked, his pale skin on display, glowing in the dark of the room. One hand was cupping his dick, fingers running lightly along the bottom. Without looking at Kylo he walked past him to the fresher. Kylo screwed his eyes shut, focusing on the sound of Hux rummaging through his cabinet, knowing he was looking for the tube of slick that he kept there. The dark behind his eyelids made it hard to ignore the feeling of gravity pulling in his cock and balls where they hung heavy between his legs.

At the sound of Hux's steps going quiet against the carpet in the main room of his quarters, Kylo opened his eyes again. The General was standing beside the bed, close enough that Kylo had to roll his head at an awkward angle to see his face, the slick was held loosely in one hand while the other stroked his cock. It was tantalizingly out of reach, and Kylo could see where it was glistening slightly at the slit. Another wave of mouth-watering arousal crashed over his head.

Kylo’s cheeks were flushed from the blood pooling in his head and the lust running hot through his veins. He kept his eyes on the pale skin, dusted with auburn hair, that stretched between Hux’s knees and his groin. 

“Perfect,” came the voice over his head. He felt his breathing stutter at the word. The tube of slick hit the bed somewhere near his knees and one of Hux’s chilly hands came up to run possessively over the curve of his ass. He flexed his ass and thighs unconsciously, wanting more from Hux’s hand, wanting to show off. Instead he got a pinch, Hux’s fingers digging cruelly into the soft skin where his ass met his thighs. 

“I want you to do something for me, can you do that?” Hux’s voice was smooth and detached, the cold chill of command threaded through it. Kylo was nodding and breathing out harsh  _ yes _ es before Hux had finished asking. 

“I thought so,” the smirk that was undoubtedly curling across his disdainful features coloring his voice, a semblance of warmth. “I want you to stay still and stay quiet. You don't move, speak, or come until I tell you.”

Kylo almost nodded but clamped down on the impulse. Hux was rather quicker with the punishment than he was with the reward. It was best to be doing what he wanted before he’d even asked for it. So Kylo kept himself still, breathing getting heavier as the impulse to move, preen, display himself warred with his effort to stay still, stay quiet, stay within the rules that the General had laid down. 

“Just like that, exactly,” Hux’s voice was rough and the bed dipped behind Kylo as Hux climbed onto it. 

Kylo was almost uncomfortably aware of the way the air in the room eddied with each of Hux’s movements. He was aware of the heat and the life that made up General Hux in a way that he never was otherwise. It wasn’t merely the way the excitement made Hux’s usually low body temperature rise, it wasn’t even the fact that so much more of his skin was open to the air. It was a little too much like the Force, the way it pressed into his mind and changed with the awakening and the extinguishing of the points - the people - who kept it tethered to the Galaxy, to Kylo himself. Hux had the same impossible quality, the ability to reach out and mold the universe between his hands, pluck Kylo out of himself and remold him and put him back; changed, remade, new. 

Kylo choked at the feeling of blunt fingers, slick and cold, touching his asshole. He could feel the cold of the slick dripping down his crack and sliding over his balls, and he had to hold back a moan where it threatened to burst out of him. The sticky head of Hux’s cock brushed against the back of his thigh, the General’s knees pressing against the inside of his own, the still chilly softness of his skin skimming against Kylo’s. He tensed his thighs, willing himself to maintain the position he was in. 

Hux’s other hand, the one not currently sliding its fingers in and out of Kylo’s body, pushing against his rim, reminding him of where Hux was preparing him, came up to cup his asscheek, then slid up, resting briefly at his lower back before the long fingers of that hand curved over the side and gripped his hip bone. 

Suddenly, Hux pulled him back, pushing his fingers in at the same time, driving their bodies together. He added another finger, stretching him three wide, and curled them down, petting Kylo’s insides, dragging the tips of his fingers along looking for that spot that made it so difficult for Kylo to follow instructions.

Kylo closed his eyes, breathing deeply. 

Hux pulled his fingers out and through the sudden feeling of emptiness, while Kylo struggled to keep himself still, there was the sound of slick and Hux let out a little grunt. Kylo imagined how the General looked, hand wrapped around his dick, the head of it poking red and eager out between his fingers. He would probably being ticking his hips forward into the tight circle of his fist. Hux never could keep himself from fucking forward into his own hand, the only sign of his eagerness. Kylo flexed his thighs, slightly, imperceptibly, hopefully, letting the tension remind him of his own need, the heavy feeling dragging his hips down, but he couldn’t press back the way he desperately wanted to, the desire to remind Hux what he was here for. Kylo couldn’t rush the General, not in this.

But before he could get himself into trouble, the blunt head of Hux’s dick was pressing against his hole and he was letting out a breath and letting him in. The slide of it was an aching perfection. His thighs were burning from the position, and he was sweating, could feel it running down his chest, collecting in the hollow of his throat, and all the while a fire was running along his bones, starting from the place where Hux was pushing to fill him. 

Hux’s seemingly endless slide finally brought his hips snug up against Kylo’s rear. The sharp jut of his hips and the slight softness of his stomach were the only warm things about his body, besides the heat burning its way through Kylo’s insides. He twitched his hips forward and back, making Kylo feel him, making himself as fully seated as he could possibly be. Hux started to pull his hips back, pulling out, and at the sensation of that hot flesh pulling against where his body was trying to keep it inside him, Kylo let out an involuntary groan, biting it off as soon as he noticed.

Immediately, Hux stopped moving. 

Kylo knew it had to be killing him. He wasn’t modest, his body was a work of art: strong, clean, cared for. More than that, it was tight and warm and no man, not even General Hux of the First Order, could resist the feeling of  _ hot-tight _ wrapped around his dick for long. 

“I thought we had an agreement,” Hux hissed at him. Kylo bit back a whimper. It seemed impossible that Hux stopping, stopping to berate him, no less, was somehow preferable to the feeling of him moving inside him. 

“I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way,” came General’s supercilious voice, again. 

Suddenly, there was a hand on the back of his neck, pushing him further into the bed, and Hux was pushing into him at a brutal pace. 

“I was,” he panted where he leaned forward towards Kylo’s ear. “Going to take. My. Time.”

He grunted as he pushed in with a ruthless snap of his hips. 

“But it seems that you’re too impatient for that, your  _ Lordship _ ,” and Kylo lets out a near silent breath that would have been a moan, unable to understand how Hux managed to make the title sound like Kylo was the least technician, beneath his notice, yet nonetheless taking up his attention, trying his patience.

Kylo knew that he would spirit Hux away from his dreams of Galactic domination if it would mean he could keep all of that implacable attention trained on him for the rest of his life.

The jerk of their bodies, in unison, left Kylo’s cock woefully neglected, but for the way the tip butted up against his belly whenever Hux was particularly rough, and the way his balls were alternately pressed somewhere close to Hux’s thighs, or left dangling, exposed.

But the press of Hux’s cock inside him was taking up too much of his attention, he couldn’t remember how to breathe, each attempt to pull air into his lungs thwarted by the press of Hux’s dick against his prostate, and each attempt to exhale stymied by the pull of Hux’s dick leaving his body. The hand the General had been using to hold Kylo’s hip disappeared and pushed its way down his body, running along the taught line of his abs, toying with the tight nubs of his nipple, pinching and cupping the shape of his pectoral, skimming the line of his latissimus dorsi, to run along the stretch of his tricep, into an almost reverential grasp of where his bicep bulged from the flex of his arm. 

“Put you arm behind your back,” Hux panted into the middle of his back, his breath warm and moist against Kylo’s skin. 

Despite the difficulty of moving his arm, the way it destabilized him as Hux continued to thrust into him, he managed to bring his hand up to his lower back. Once there, Hux grabbed his hand, grasping at the heel of his hand, where it extended below his thumb, Hux held his thumb to keep the arm in place, a kind of half assed leverage, not a hold that Kylo wouldn’t be able to break with the barest minimum of effort.

The twist in his shoulder brought Kylo back to his body, away from the games they were playing, for a moment, and he was aware of how close he was, how tight his body was wound, ready to let go.

Hux thrust were getting unsteady, and his control had given way to emphatic grunts which coincided with every time his hips met the flesh of Kylo’s ass. 

“Keep your arm there,” Hux said as he let go. 

Suddenly, that hand, slick with Kylo’s own sweat, was on his cock and it was stroking him in merciless tandem with Hux’s thrusts.

“Come for me, Ren,” Hux managed to find some shred of his commanding tone, but it was nearly lost in the sound of his heavy breathing. “Come for me, Kylo– _Ren_.”

And Kylo did. 

Panting, alone in his room. He had an idea.

* * *

The General– no  _ Grand Marshal _ slices his way into the room. Kylo can feel his heart pounding; it's stupid, the power is all on his side. Not only the command, but the Force as well. He has nothing to fear from one man, not even one as unbending and disdainful as Hux.

In no time, Hux was standing before him, his face a mask of barely contained rage.

“Grand Marshal Hux,” he offered. He clenched his jaw to keep the smirk that threatened to curl at his lips from unfurling across them.  _ Grand Marshal  _ Hux stared at him. His eyes were bright, but there was a familiar tick in his jaw. His posture remained rigid. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Hux spat.

Kylo took a deep breath, licking his lips and rolling them together as he let the breath out through his nose.

"The meaning of what, exactly?”

“You know very well what,” Hux’s tone was venomous enough that Kylo was certain he would choke if he were close enough to breathe it in. Kylo stared at him, impassive, enjoying the way the vein in the Grand Marshal’s throat had started to pulse. 

“ _ This _ ,” Hux said, finally gesturing at the additional stripe that had been added to his sleeve along with his increasing in rank. 

Kylo said nothing. 

The silence stretched between them and eventually Hux’s mouth twitched into a uniquely nasty expression.

“Well,  _ Supreme Leader _ ,” and Kylo couldn’t quite suppress the shudder at the tone he used on the title, “Some of us have actual work to do, keeping our forces running.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that,” Kylo interrupted. The words weren’t right, but he needed Hux to stop talking long enough for him to figure out how best to say what he wanted.

Hux’s eyebrows rose and his redistributed his weight, almost imperceptibly, readying himself for whatever he expected Kylo to fling at him.

Kylo stood up from Snoke’s– the–  _ his _ throne and stepped off the dias. He walked towards Hux, and saw the way the Grand Marshal’s shoulder’s stiffened under his great coat. 

“Grand Marshal,” he started, then amended. “Hux. You are… Invaluable. Necessary for the functioning of the First Order.”

Kylo stopped again. 

“While I’m sure they’ve told you flattery will get you everywhere,” Hux sneered at him. “I’m not sure what you hope to achieve with this exercise.”   
“What if you were Emperor?” Kylo blurted. He flushed, immediately. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“ _ What? _ ” in the span of a single syllable Hux’s voice had managed to acquire a shrill quality that was entirely unbefitting a man of his station or character.

“That’s not–”

“In the name of what stars are you asking–”

“I’m just trying to–”

“–me that kind of question? Have you lost your–”

“ _ Will you marry me? _ ” Kylo bellowed.

“–star blasted mind?” Hux ended at a fraction of the volume he’d started his sentence. 

For the first time, Hux was rendered utterly speechless, and Kylo Ren was unable to appreciate it even the slightest bit. 

“What?” Hux’s voice was a whisper.

Kylo stepped closer to the Grand Marshal. He ran his eyes over the pale face before him. Hux’s brows were bushy and his blue-green eyes were bloodshot. His sunstarved complexion had slid into an unhealthy sallowness and the usual shadows beneath his eyes had turned an oily bruised color. It seems that Hux was not getting any more rest than Kylo Ren himself. 

“Will you,” he took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?” 

Hesitantly he brought a hand up, slide a single, gloved finger along side of Hux’s face, feeling where the prominent cheekbone pressed against the skin. 

“You cannot possibly be serious,” Hux replied, murmuring into the quiet between them.

Kylo huffed out a laugh.

“I cannot possibly hope to keep the First Order in line if I don’t have you by my side,” he replied. 

“Well, that’s true enough,” Hux’s surprisingly full lips curled into a smile.

“So? Will you?” Kylo couldn’t help the way anxiety had started to curl uneasily in his gut.

“And what do I get out of it?”

Kylo swallowed hard.

“Did I mention making you Emperor?” he asked, somewhat strangled.

“That you did,” and Hux’s expression was almost sweet as he pulled Kylo in. His hand was strong where Kylo’s jaw met his neck and Hux claimed his mouth with a possessive intent that Kylo could only take to mean  _ yes _ . 


End file.
